The Time I Made Out with a Giraffe

Following our exciting morning with baby elephants, my sister and I continue on to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi.

This is another must-see place if you pass through Nairobi. It’s easy to visit both the giraffes and elephants in the same morning, and both are really unique wildlife experiences.

Randomly, they have several warthogs roaming the property. Did you know they often crawl on their knees to reach food? They have short necks and relatively long legs so they’ve adapted this kneeling strategy.

And here is the feeding platform. Each guest is given a few handfuls of food which they use to lure the giraffes closer for photos ops… and kisses.

I’ve spotted giraffes in the wild many times over the past few weeks, but this is my sister’s first time seeing them up close. It’s pretty neat.

So one of the big draws of the Giraffe Center is the chance to kiss one of these long-necked creatures. Just place a pellet of food between your lips and they’ll lick it up with their large, leathery tongues… like this:

But let’s not rush things. My sister and I warm up to the giraffes.

Okay, Bethany’s ready to give it a shot.

My turn.

I do this a couple of times (too many times?) and even try it wearing my GoPro camera. Bethany captures this action shot:

As my cousin Elena commented, “Maybe it’s been a lonely trip Erica… everyone needs some love!”

And you know what? He wasn’t a bad kisser.

Here’s video footage of our time with the giraffes:

With all this tongue action it makes one wonder / worry about the spread of germs. Oh well, when in Nairobi… make out with a giraffe.

One last giraffe selfie:

That’s Giraffe Manor in the photo below, a super fancy hotel where giraffes poke their heads into room windows. It’s been profiled extensively on-line and I hoped to pay them a visit, but they did not affirmatively reply to my request for sponsored accommodation. However if you have the funds, look into spending a night here.